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Falu's Curse
Prologue "Jasper!" a voice echoed through the Skywing palace. The massive pale orange and gold Skywing queen ran through the palace corridor. A vicious storm raged just outside the palace walls, shaking the palace walls with every crash of thunder. Jasper skidded to a stop in a darkened hallway intersection. Her head darted around quickly. "Andesite! Where are you? Are the eggs alright?" The red Skywing king ran into the hall from a large doorway. He had a wicker basket in his teeth with five eggs resting in it. "They're ok. We have to get out of here." A creaking sound filled their ears as a wall gave way to the storm, the wind ripping the basket from Andesite's jaws and swinging it around. "No!" Jasper roared, jumping at the basket. Another crash of thunder rattled the air as a piece of stone debris slammed into the queen's face. "Jasper! Get up!" Andesite rushed forward to help his mate up. "Andesite, forget me! Get the eggs!" she screamed, pointing at the basket as it skittered over the floor. The red Skywing lunged at the basket, leaving Jasper on the floor. The wind ripped at his wings, nearly tearing them. A sudden burst of wind grabbed the basket in its grasp and slammed it into the nearest wall, shattering all but two of the eggs. Jasper wailed in despair, picking up pieces of shattered red and orange eggshell in her talons. She then stared on in horror to see Andesite torn from his talons and flung into the same wall that just killed three of her dragonets. He crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his head. Jasper scooped up her remaining two eggs and rushed to her mate's side. "Andesite! Andesite, get up! Our dragonets need you!" Andesite didn't respond, his yellow eyes half shut. A thin stream of blood dripped from his mouth. Jasper shook him desperately, tears forming in her golden-yellow eyes. Diorite, Jasper's younger cousin, ran to her side, shielding her queen with her wings. "He's dead, Jasper! And you and your dragonets will be too if we don't get out of here!" Jasper couldn't move. "Take them..." she managed to choke out. Diorite sighed, grabbing the queen's forearm and pulling her toward the basement. Undoing the large wooden door, she shoved the queen forward, gesturing for her to go down first. Jasper could barely get her legs to move, dropping down into the basement of the palace. She looked around the large room, her servants huddling around each others, candle light dimly brightening the damp room. A sudden cracking snapped Jasper back to reality. Her heart sank. Her eggs were hatching. She rushed to a corner, grabbing two blankets and making a fake nest. Diorite snatched two towels and ran to the eggs, wrapping them around the nest and mopping the eggs dry. A large, dark red dragonet emerged from the first egg and grabbed one of the blanket's corners in her teeth. The second dragonet took much more time. It seemed like hours before the orange dragonet finished breaking away from her eggshell. She looked up at Jasper and squeaked happily. Diorite gave the queen a look filled with both sorrow and happiness. "What are you going to name them? Did you and Andesite-" "Falu and Spessartine." Jasper said quietly. "We decided on Falu and Spessartine." she said, gesturing to the red dragonet, then the orange dragonet. Falu's slitted green eyes narrowed on her sister. A tiny growl escaped her throat as she lunged at Spessartine, pinning her to the ground. Gasps of surprise and fear filled the room as Jasper pulled the red dragonet from her sister. Jasper pulled Falu back, the large dragonet struggling to get back at her now crying sister. The queen looked at her eldest daughter in shock and fear. This... This can't be right. Dragonets aren't supposed to be like this... The shrieks of fury from the red dragonet filled the basement of the Skywing palace. Chapter One Red claws flicked forward, striking the orange dragonet on the face. "Ow, Falu!" Spessartine whined. "That hurt!" Falu licked her dark claws, smiling at her sister. "Oh shut up, Spessartine! You're such a whiny baby." "Mom! Falu hit me again!" Spessartine yelled. Falu snorted, smoke swirling from her nostrils. "Whatever. What's she going to do?" Jasper jogged into the room, walking up to Spessartine. "What is it, my little songbird?" "Falu scratched me again!" she whined. Falu turned away to face a corner in the palace courtyard. She rolled her eyes. "They just don't understand us. Do they, Shetani? They just don't understand anything about the superior dragons in the world." "No they don't, my dear Falu..." a female voice in her head growled. "You are the rightful heir to the Skywing throne. The only heir..." Falu smiled, looking down at her talon. "They just can't see I'' am the only one worthy of the throne." "Falu?" Jasper said, a tone of fear in her voice. "Who... Who are you talking to?" Falu snarled. "No one." ''Don't worry, Shetani. They won't get you. Jasper raised an eye ridge. "Falu, did you scratch Spessartine?" Falu stretched out her talon with her claws extended. "Yes. Why, do you need to test them to see if there's blood on them?" she snarled. Jasper gave a haughty sniff. "Watch your tone, Falu." Falu growled and stomped off. Dinner that night was tense. Falu eyed down everything that moved with slitted eyes, not letting anything escape her ice-cold, green-eyed glare. Spessartine finally broke the silence. "Mother, when will we be betrothed?" Falu spit out her water all over the table, slamming the glass down. "I'm never getting married! Or betrothed! So don't bother!" Jasper's lip twitched. "If you become queen, you'll need heirs." she said quietly, anger trickling into her voice. "No! I won't!" Falu yelled, her tail lashing as she pulled herself to her feet. Jasper ignored Falu, turning her attention back to Spessartine. "I arranged the betrothal for a few weeks from now, actually. I was going to wait a bit longer to tell you, but now that you've brought it up, I suppose I have to introduce you to your future mates." Falu gave a puff of flame. "Never! Never!" Jasper ignored Falu again, gesturing for her daughters to follow her. Spessartine came eagerly, a smile on her face. Falu stomped after them. "Don't surrender, Falu. Don't give in to them." Shetani's voice rang in the red princess's head. She smiled. Don't worry about a thing, Shetani. I'll handle things just fine. The three exited into the arena as four dragons exited on the opposite side, two young males, about their age, followed by two adult dragons. Jasper walked up to the two older dragons and Falu could see they were a male and a female, likely mates. "Hello, Elderberry, Rosemary." The two dragons bowed to the queen in respect. Rosemary stood up before Elderberry, looking at the queen in pride. "Queen Jasper, I'm so proud to be able to unite or sons with your daughters at long last." The two young males bowed to the princesses, their matching yellow-orange scales shining. The first male had on a necklace lined with herbs around his neck, staring at Spessartine with yellow eyes. Spessartine blushed a little. "I'm Spessartine. What's your name?" The male looked at her, a smile on his face. "I'm Sanguinea. It's a pleasure to be in your presence, your majesty." Spessartine leaned on him, blushing bright red as a smile spread across her face. Falu eyed down the second male. He was a bit smaller than the first, a brass ring clamped around his neck. She snarled. Oh, give your precious Spessartine the better mate, huh? I don't think so... "Hello, Princess Falu." the male introduced. "My name is Rust. It's-" "Yeah, yeah, a pleasure to be in my presence. Blah blah blah." Falu said, waving a talon at him, staring upwards. "Falu!" Jasper interjected. "Don't be rude! Introduce yourself to your betrothed." "Yeah, charmed. I'm out of here." Falu said, making her way to the doorway they had come through. "I'm sorry, Rust." Jasper reconciled. "She's always been like this." Chapter Two As Falu walked, her rage simmered like a pot of boiling water. She began to jog, then run. She ran out of the palace and into the villages below. An orange dragon jumped in her way. He looked to be about her age. "Woah, you're Princess Falu! What are you doing here? It's a pleasure to meet you, princess." A tenacious idea popped into Falu's head. She smiled, staring back at the palace over her shoulder. This male was in complete awe of her. He would be at her beck and call whenever and wherever she wanted him. She gave a fake smile of happiness at the male. "Yes, young SkyWing. And I'm here because..." She stopped for a moment. "Because I wanted to ask the most loyal SkyWing in the kingdom to be my betrothed. And I think it might be you." The male looked as if he'd fall over. "R-Really? Are you serious?" "Does a princess ever lie to her subjects?" The male was trembling with excitement. "Of course I will, your majesty." he said, trying to seem regal. Falu rolled her eyes. Oh brother. She leaned forward, kissing the male on the cheek. "Come with me." she whispered. The male didn't hesitate, following Falu without so much as a second thought. Falu entered a cave on the mountainside, the orange male still following her blindly. "We're here." The orange SkyWing looked around the cave, confused. "Why did you bring me here, princess?" Falu smiled an ear-to-ear smile, her eyes opening so wide they looked as if they would pop out. "For this!" she said quietly, an ominous hiss in her voice. She tail catapulted over her back, like a snake lunging from its burrow, the golden blade on the end piercing the male's neck. He dropped to the ground, blood pouring from his jaws. He looked at Falu, a look of betrayal. Falu smiled ever wider at the sight of the blood. Her heart began to race, her blood pumped, and her muscles pulsed with strength. She grabbed the bloodied blade from her tail, taking it off into her talon. The male weakly pulled himself to his feet and attempted to run, unable to call for help. Falu flipped the blade, catching it again. "I love a good chase!" she said, surging after her prey. She cut him off, sending him tripping backwards. "Where are you going? I thought you wanted to be my betrothal?" she asked crazily. The male cupped his talon over his bleeding throat. "You... You're a... monster..." he croaked weakly, blood dripping from his mouth. Falu grinned at the statement. "Yes. I am." She held the blade over her head, stabbing down on the male's chest, causing blood to spray out over her. Falu looked down at him as the orange dragon's body let out its final twitches of life, eyes glazing over. She felt a surge of a strange emotion overtake her. Love. Falu licked the bloodstains from her lips, taking the blade to the male's neck again, decapitating him. She grabbed his tail, dragging him back to the cave and flipping him over. Falu smiled, laying the head on the ground as she stared at the headless corpse. "Let's just get this over with." Chapter Three After her nasty little deed was done, Falu took the head and made her way back to the palace. It was late in the night by then, crickets chirping as the bloody princess made her way home, splatters of red all over her pink silk cape. Her green eyes glowed in the darkness of the night. She looked down at her claws, which were as red as her scales. She snorted. "Murder, who knew it was so fun." She licked the blood from her talon, smearing on her face again. "I think this is the start of something beautiful." she said, looking down at the decapitated head, a look of horror and fear on its face. The palace was desolate this time of night, making it easy for Falu to sneak in. Even the guards were asleep. Falu slid past them, into the dark hallway and toward her room to display her new trinket. As she passed by Spessartine's room, she looked at her sister, fast asleep in her bed, not a drop of blood on her. Instantly, Falu's imagination wandered to an image of Spessartine, beheaded and dead on that very bed, ruby-red blood dripping onto the floor. She smiled. "One day, this is going to be real." "Yes it will, Falu." Shetani said, her voice unusually quiet. Falu pulled the door to her room open. It was dark in the room, moonlight spilling through the window above her bed. She shoved items around on the shelf next to the door, making room for her new morbid collection item. She pulled her bloody silk from under her spiked neck and arm bands, tossing it into the laundry basket. She took the blood soaked blade from her tail, licking the blood from the gold as she sprawled out on her bed, an arm behind her head. She tossed the knife into the wall, pulling the sheets over her to prepare for bed. She yawned, blood smearing onto her pillow. "That was fun. I'll have to do that again." Morning poked its way into Falu's room, sunlight spreading over her. She pulled herself from her bed, looking around the room. The sunlight really showed just how much blood Falu had tracked into the room. Bloody talonprints smeared across the floor and along her bedsheets. Falu licked her teeth, still getting the taste of blood in her mouth. She stretched, caked on blood flaking to the ground. Falu pulled the golden tail blade from the stone of the wall, running a satin cloth over it, cleaning it of all of its red stains. She glanced at the head displayed on her shelf, blood dripping from its spot, then onto the floor. Falu let out a puff of smoke at the thought of her deadly meet with the orange dragon. She made her way to the large wooden wardrobe on the other side of her room, pulling out a new silk cape, clamping it to her golden jewelry and letting it drape over her back like a layer of mist over a forest. She glanced at her deep red scales. "Can't even notice. No need to wash off." She flexed her black claws as she walked to the door, locking it on her way out. As she turned the corner in the hall, she came face-to-face with Rust. He took a few steps back, embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry, princess. I didn't see you." Falu remembered her deed from the night before and how she did it. Charm. That's it! She put on an expression of sorrow. "Rust, I wanted to apologize for my deplorable behavior last night." She inhaled sharply. "I hope you can forgive me." Rust bought her bluff. "It's alright, Falu. I wasn't sure about the betrothal when I first heard about it either." "Oh, Rust. I don't deserve your apology." she said dramatically. Rust looked worried. "Well, there's still breakfast. Do you want to go with me?" Falu's stomach growled. She realized she didn't even finish her dinner last night. "Sure. That sounds lovely." As she followed him, a twisted smile spread across her face. Perfect. One step closer... Chapter Four Falu barely looked at Rust all the way through breakfast, too focused on her food. The roasted meat made her flash back to the murder he committed last night. She smirked as she watched servants scrubbing blood from the floor. Spessartine was swooning over Sanguinea on the other side of the dining room. The two were smiling at each other, already completely infatuated. Falu nearly vomited. "Gross." she mumbled in between mouthfuls of food. Night fell before Falu knew it. The day seemed to fly by, completely uneventful, just her going about her day, Rust trailing at her heels. Falu waited for the guards to trail away from the front entrance, leaping out the door into the village she entered the night before. She felt the cold dirt under her talons as rain poured from the sky like a mighty river. Her glowing green eyes scanned the area, searching for the slightest bit of movement. And at last, she got her chance. A young, cherry-red Skywing ran through the rain, clutching a small leather bag close to him. She ran to him, stepping in front of him. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" He looked up at her. He was shorter and appeared to be about a year younger than her. "I-I need to get home, but I got caught in the rain. I have respiratory problems and I can't be out in the rain for very long." Falu gave him a small smile, the blood from her previous victim dripping from her scales, returning them to their normal, glittering red. "I know a place where we can both get out of the rain. Follow me." The red male nodded at her, following Falu through the trees. Falu didn't take the male to the cave where she had taken the orange male the night before. She took him to the side of a river, which was overflowing with rainwater. She darted her head around for a moment, her eyes falling on a small, narrow cave. "This way!" she called to him. Adrenaline began to cloud Falu's mind as it flooded through her system. The male pulled up next to her in the cave, both of them dripping wet. "Thank you, miss. I owe you a lot." Falu smiled a bit wider, chuckling softly. "You don't owe me that much. You owe me just one thing." The male smiled at her. "What is it?" Falu's tail twitched, eager for the inevitable kill. She smiled, eyes opening wide, just as they had done the night before. "Your life!" She lunged at him, her teeth digging into his neck. So much pleasure did she feel as she shredded through a major vein, blood spurting out over her and bubbling against her fangs as she drove them deeper into the Skywing's neck. He didn't give up right away, however. He swatted at the princess ferociously, catching her along her right eye. The princess released her grip, rearing back and roaring in pain and fury as red clouded her vision. The male used this time to try and run. He made it to the edge of the cave, crawling along the ground, before Falu's claws caught his tail. "Where do you think you're going?" She ripped him back towards her, his claws bleeding from trying to fold on to the stone floor. Falu's tail lashed over her head like a Sandwing's, the crack of bone and the sound of blood dripping from cave walls filled her ears as the male's struggle ended. Permanently. She grabbed the blade from her tail, feeling the familiar twinge of infatuation from the night before return to her as she severed the male's head. She stared down at the corpse, her heart rushing. He reminded her so much of Spessartine. She grinned at it. "Well, here we go again." Falu licked her talons, cleaning the blood from them. She looked back at the corpse in the back of the cave, now dismembered and strewn across the floor. The stone in the cave had been dyed red with the male's blood, and Falu relished in the thought of this. "Well, guess I should figure out what to do with you." she said to the corpse, grabbing it by what remained of the tail. She took the head and tucked it under her wing, blood dripping along orange and yellow membrane. She then began to pull the body toward the exit. The rain had stopped and the night was misty and cold. The three new moons, virtually invisible in the sky, were nothing more than pale, illuminated rings. A lone owl hooted a song in the distance, but, other than that, it was entirely silent. The body of the male Skywing was heavy, but Falu seemed to manage just fine, pulling him by the half of a tail that still remained on his body. She had bitten the other half off in her rage. The body hadn't just been ripped into, it was mutilated. Not only was the head gone, the torso had been opened up and the insides were now spilling out, a puddle of red underneath all the horror. Falu's ears pricked up at a sudden splash coming from behind her. She turned around, fully expecting someone to be standing there, but there was nothing. She snarled, looking down at the ground, suddenly seeing what had made the splash. The dragon's heart sat in the grass, fully free of all the arteries that should have been attaching it to his body. Falu's eyes narrowed at the little red lump in the grass, her mind racing with fury. There can't be any evidence! Falu's jaws snapped forward, snatching the heart from the grass, and, in one swift motion, it was gone. Falu had swallowed it. Another corpse suddenly dropped, seemingly from the sky, landing right in front of her. Falu jumped back in surprise and confusion, eyeing down the body that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It was a female Mudwing, her throat roughly cut, as if it had been done with the most jagged claws. She was very beautiful, however, glittering blue eyes against shining amber scales. "Get away from my prey or you'll share his fate." A male's voice growled. It was smooth, like a river flowing freely, no rocks obstructing it. Falu gave a warning snarl, fire licking at her snout. "Show yourself. I'll have you know I'm a princess. You do anything to me, it's your head!" A muscular golden Skywing pounded down in front of the Mudwing. His eyes were in a scowl, but his body language would have suggested something else. "Oh, another little brat. Just like this one." he said, gesturing to the Mudwing. Falu stared at her, her memories returning to her. The brown dragon had jade beads along his horns and a red gem pendent hanging from his neck, a large crack slithering through it. "You mean this is-" "Prince Gizani of the Mudwings." the golden Skywing said, flashing her a half-smile. "I see you have a kill of your own." He pointed at the Skywing corpse on the ground. Falu took a step back, wings quivering slightly. The head of the male she was carrying plopped to the ground, landing in a puddle. Falu just stared at it, unable to force herself to move to get it back. The golden male looked impressed, the scowl fading from his face. Falu could see his eyes clearly now. They were icy blue. "Oh you're brutal." He flashed her a bloodstained smile. "I like that." Falu smiled back, her eyes meeting his. She raised an eye ridge at him. "You're pretty savage yourself." The male stretched, his wings flashing a vivid flame-orange, a white rim on the outside. He observed his claws, which were surprisingly clean considering his act not long before. "Yep. Sure am." He gave a puff of flame, allowing it to curl around his head, creating an eerie light on his face. "The name's Hazard, but you can call me the Mud Kingdom Cannibal." Falu watched as he withdrew something bloody from a bag on his back and bit into it, allowing blood to splatter on his perfect yellow scales. He licked his talon as he finished, blood dripping from his chin. "I see you dabble a little in the art of cannibalism as well." He gestured to Falu, noting the blood on her face. Falu remembered the heart of her newest victim. She swallowed hard as she regained composure, retrieving her trophy. "I-I have to go." Hazard smiled at her. "Hey now, where are you going? You're not leaving so soon, are you?" Falu stopped dead in her tracks. She was speechless as she turned around to face Hazard again. Hazard looked at the mountains. He then took to the air, his wings beating hard, yet quietly, in the darkness. Falu looked at him suspiciously and followed him, leaving her kill in the open with Hazard's. Falu took off after him, clutching her trophy close to her chest. Chapter Five After what felt like forever, Hazard ducked and rolled to the ground, landing on a large rock jutting from the ground like a crooked fang. Falu landed awkwardly behind him. Hazard's head whipped around to face her. He then turned back around as she stepped up next to him. Hazard drew a blade from the scabbard around his neck, a growl on his face. It was a shining silver blade, long and straight, a jagged edge on one side. It looked razor sharp, as if it had been honed every day for years. Falu curled her tail blade closer to her, feeling threatened. Falu looked at Hazard, her green eyes meeting his blue ones. They were filled with anxiousness and anger. A smile spread across Falu's face Hazard noticed Falu's smile and a look of uneasiness spread across his face. The red princess then flung herself at Hazard, knocking him from the rock. Hazard hit the ground and whirled around to face the princess, who was perched on the rock he had just fallen from. He then snarled, flames curling from his bared teeth. Falu roared, sending a plume of flame into the air above Hazard. Hazard's anger turned to fear as he ran into the forest and out of sight of Princess Falu. Chapter Six The palace was dark at midnight, several torches burned down to their embers lined the corridor walls. Falu had dumped her kill in the river, allowing the current to drag it away. Hazard must have returned for his kill a bit earlier, just missing him by the scent that lingered in the air where Gizani's body had been left. Falu turned a corner, a stinging pain making itself known along her shoulder. She looked down at her right shoulder, seeing a clean cut, oozing a steady stream of blood. She snarled as she remembered barreling into Hazard. His blade must have cut her. She snarled again, a tiny dragonet tumbling into her path. She looked down at it and gasped. Golden-yellow scales, white horns. She looked nearly identical to Hazard. "Amber!" a voice whispered, calling after the tiny dragonet. "Where are-" Spessartine gasped as she turned the corner, seeing her sister towering over the cowering ball of yellow scales that was her daughter. Falu's black claws flashed into view as lightning from the window behind her lit up the hallway in an eerie light. A roar built up in the red princess's throat as her claws lashed forward, catching Amber over her left eye, sending flecks of blood across the floor. A snarl came from Spessartine as the orange Skywing princess flung herself at her sister, Sanguinea coming up behind her for backup. "Don't you dare touch my daughter, Falu!" Falu whirled around, sending Spessartine to the floor. She pressed her claws into her neck and roared in her face, small beads of saliva falling from her jaws. A hissing sound came from her throat. Sanguinea gasped, putting his head down and charging Falu, sending her flying backwards, smashing through the window, leaving her dangling from the side of the palace as lightning cracked against the sky, thunder roaring furiously in her ears as wind whirled around her like a hurricane. Falu pulled herself up from the window, shards of glass piercing her scales. She panted, enraged, her eyes glowing in fury. She then lunged at the yellow-orange dragon, swinging him around by his wing, dislocating it. Sanguinea held back a scream as he struggled against Falu, fighting her backwards and closer to the window. Falu suddenly roared, rolling onto her back and kicking her legs upward, releasing her grip on Sanguinea's wing, sending him flying out the window. She watched as the pale orange shape plummeted into the ravine below, his screams ended by a chorus of falling rocks that ensured that Sanguinea wouldn't be coming back. Falu roared over the ravine, lightning flashing just outside the window. She whipped around, teeth exposed and dripping from rain, her eyes searching for Spessartine or Amber, but they were both gone, nowhere to be found. Wind beat on Falu's silk garb, a flapping noise resonating through the empty corridor as the red princess sniffed the air, long and hard, attempting to pick up any kind of scent. And she did, leading out of the palace. With a growl, she surged after the scent hoping she'd be fast enough to catch the two traitors in the act. She burst from the main entrance of the palace, scaring two guards half to death. Rain beat down on her scales as she continued to follow the scent trail, her eyes searching frantically for any signs of their presence. She skidded to a stop spraying mud across the ground. A large puddle opened up in front of her, and that was where the smell had ended. Falu's eyes blinded by rage, shot back and forth, not wanting to believe she'd lost them. She roared furiously, thrashing her tail about, sending mud in all directions. A plume of flame entered the air, illuminating the area. Falu snorted a puff of smoke, retreating back to the palace. She'll be back. she thought. She can't survive on her own. Falu pulled herself back into the palace, her pink silk sticking to her. Her horns dripped from the rain as se tracked puddle after puddle of water into the palace halls. Queen Jasper stood in the hall, looking at the open window. She turned to face Falu, who was covered in blood and rainwater. "Falu, what happened to you? Where's Spessartine? Sanguinea, he's-" She stopped, noticing the creepy smile slithering across Falu's face. Falu's claws extended as her smile widened, revealing pink gums at the tops. She took a few steps forward before lashing out and grabbing her mother by the throat. Chapter Seven Jasper gasped, falling back. "Falu, what are you doing?" she choked out. Falu didn't answer, tightening her grip as she kicked at her with her back legs, causing several deep cuts in Jasper's chest. Jasper's pearly white claws grabbed at Falu's face, prying her jaws from her neck, blood spurting from the wound. Falu flipped from her mother, landing then sliding underneath her, claws extended, slicing a deep cut along her chest. Jasper hissed, hitting Falu over the head with her tail. Falu hit the ground with a loud thud. After a long pause, Jasper walked over to her with a sigh. "Oh, Falu. I'm so sorry I had to do this." Falu's eyes suddenly flashed open. She lunged at her mother pinning her to the ground. She extended her claws to their full extent and drove them into the bite wound she had created and drug them down, creating a deep cut from her chin to tail. Jasper's eyes clouded over as she opened her mouth, blood trickling from it. She fell limp and stopped struggling, slumping to the ground. Lightning flashed as Falu, the new queen, pulled herself to her feet. Chapter Eight A week had passed since Falu's crowning as queen and Spessartine still hadn't returned. Falu snorted as she looked over a balcony overlooking the kingdom. "Hmmp! She must have died." She let out a quiet laugh. "I knew she couldn't survive on her own." Rust, now king, pulled himself up to her. He had begun to change drastically. He was no longer the happy, social dragon he once was, he was now distant and quiet. "Uh, my queen?" "What?" Falu growled, not facing him. He took a few steps back. "Um, D-Diorite has arranged an arena battle to celebrate you becoming queen." Falu's expression softened a bit. "Well, quit your blabbering and let's go then." Rust slinked after Falu as the queen walked confidently into the arena. Spectators lined the stands, cheering as their new queen emerged onto the balcony. Falu growled quietly as her green eyes scanned over them. "Diorite!" she barked. The small, dull red dragon landed next to Falu. "Yes, my queen? What can I do for you?" Falu pointed at a group of three dragons up on the pillars surrounding the arena, one Seawing and two Icewings. "Take those three and pit them against as many scavengers as you can find." Diorite bowed. "As you wish, your majesty." She flew up to each dragon, a swarm of guards following her, and unlatched each one, bringing them into the sand below. The guards then opened a large metal door and shooed about thirty scavengers into the arena. The crowds cheered as the fight began, the scavengers encroaching closer on the prisoners. One of the Icewings fell to the sand, he attempted to pull his shaking mass from the ground, but tumbled down again, exhausted. The other Icewing looked at him and jumped forward into the mob of scavengers, but did not fight. He simply stood there and allowed the scavengers to kill him. The Seawing did the same as the drew closer to him. A burst of flame scorched every scavenger in the arena, leaving a smoking mess behind as Falu's massive form landed in front of the blue dragon. "Fight, Seawing!" she roared. The Seawing shook his head. "No, Falu. This is wrong." Murmuring swept through the crowd as dragons looked at each other nervously. Falu's eyes gave him a frosty glare as she smiled a bit. "Listen, Clam." she said, her voice in a manipulating tone. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to Kelp, would you?" Clam gasped as a green Seawing was brought out in chains. He was extremely skinny and looked depressed and miserable. "You wouldn't..." "Then fight or your brother dies." Falu announced. "After all, he is your only brother." Chapter Nine Falu sprawled out in the sun, rolling over onto her back. Her tail curled around the large egg at the base of the sunning platform. She sighed, looking up at the sky. Hey. Shetani's voice called. Falu sat up. "What?" she growled. "Where have you been?" Shetani scoffed, the sound echoing in Falu's head. I came to tell you you've made a mistake with having that dragonet, Falu. Falu snarled, pulling to her feet. Calm yourself, Falu. Shetani spat. Don't be a fool. You know I'm right. That dragonet will hold you back. She has to go. Falu slammed her talon on the sunning platform, drawing the egg up into her claws. She snarled, flapping her wings and drifting away into the palace. She set the pale red egg in a nest of ash, lashing her tail and cracking it in the air. WIP Category:Content (Queen Seaglass of the Seawings) Category:Fanfictions